Grain and Fire Portal: A Harmonious Blend of Earth's Elements

Sunny Jackson's Crystal Light Sculpture Connects Users to Earth's Fundamental Elements

The Grain and Fire Portal Light uses sustainably sourced wood from a reserve stock of aged and weathered Teak wood. Weathered for decades by the sun, wind, and rain, the wood is then hand shaped, sanded, burnt and finished into a vessel for holding LED lighting and using quartz crystals as a natural light diffuser. 100 percent natural unaltered quartz crystals are used in each sculpture and are approximately 280 million years old. Due to the organic nature of the materials used, each sculpture varies in character and definition.

The quartz crystals are sourced from Arkansas, USA and are estimated to be approximately 280 million years old. They are not altered from their original state. The wood frame of the sculpture uses a reserve stock of aged and weathered Teak wood, circa 1930s. A variety of wood finishing options are available from fire charred, natural, or bleach white.

The sculpture acts as both a standalone object d'art as well as functional mood lighting. Using LED lighting technology, the lighting can be adjusted with a dimmer to achieve the desired brightness. The quartz crystals act as a natural diffuser to the light source and absorb the intensity of the LED and deflect it as a warm glow. The light also serves as a focal point and conversation piece due to its unique design and use of organic materials.

The design has taken on multiple improvements and design considerations during the past two years. A provisional patent was filed in July of 2018, with an official product launch slated for 2019. The initial idea came from the idea of using a hollowed tree trunk and fitting it with LED lighting and using quartz crystals as the diffuser. It was a concept of marrying something old and rustic with something shiny and prismatic, while still appreciating that these two materials are born of the same Earth and origin.

Extreme challenges were overcome on many levels as there were many aspects of the construction that had not been done before. Many professionals were consulted across a variety of disciplines to arrive at the final outcome, whether it was sourcing a high-quality LED light product, or scouring the globe for an appropriate species of wood that would be able to travel anywhere in the world without warping. One of the more challenging design aspects of this project was the installation of the crystals on top of the LED light strip.

Comprised of wood and quartz crystal, this organic light sculpture uses sustainably sourced wood from a reserve stock of aged Teak wood. Weathered for decades by the sun, wind, and rain, the wood is then hand shaped, sanded, burnt and finished into a vessel for holding LED lighting and using quartz crystals as a natural diffuser. 100% natural unaltered quartz crystals are used in each sculpture and are approximately 280 million years old. A variety of wood finishing techniques are used including the Shou Sugi Ban method of using fire for preservation and contrasting color.

This Design was awarded Silver in A' Fine Arts and Art Installation Design Award in 2019. Silver A' Design Award : Rewarded to top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that illustrate outstanding expertise and innovation. These designs, admired for their strong technical characteristics and splendid artistic skill, showcase a remarkable level of excellence and introduce positive feelings, amazement, and wonder.